Enclosures in the old Bible

A few items were tucked inside my g-g-grandfather's Bible. One is an embroidered bookmark with "For Dr. Suiter" written on it. At the bottom it is signed Ella E. Howe. She was also one of the various people who gave him the Bible.

Also inside the Bible was an old newspaper clipping about a disastrous tornado. It lists "Mrs. E. Howe and two children" as among those killed. The date was cut off of the clipping but I believe this must have been the tornado of May 25 1896 that I found described on several websites including NOAA.gov.


Here are some excerpts from the old newspaper. (Sorry, the name of the paper is not on the clipping.)

GRIM DEATH
UNFOLDS SABLE WINGS

Over the South Part of Lapeer County, Without Warning the Demon Cyclone Made a Fell Swoop, Devouring Everything Before IT.
The Hissing Storm Swept From the West.
Life, Buildings, Crops, Sacrificed.
Houses, Barns, Farm Buildings Crushed Like Egg Shells.
Dead Stock and Human Beings Strewn Over Miles of Country.
The Scene of the Awful Disaster Looks a Gettysburg Red with Gore, Vocal with the Moans of the Dying.

... The cloud when first discovered is reported to have worn the shape of a funnel, and was of a greenish black color. It whirled, top-like. Everything in its path, a sweep of a mile wide, was laid in a perfect wreck. The National hotel was demolished, together with the hotel barn across the way. The twisting, whirling wind then took in its arms Cowan's elevator, the M C depot, apple dryer, Maccabee hall, Knapp's store, postoffice building, homes and structures of every description--literally mowing the district, making of what two hours before was the beautiful hamlet of Thomas a dreary waste.

... Some 50 lives are reported lost... Andrew Pettibone, aged about 24, living on the Andrew Johnson farm, two miles east of Thomas was instantly killed and his wife was badly hurt.. Chas. Hicks and son Fred, living on Wm. Skillman's farm were instantly killed.
Myron Johnson, leg broken.
Mrs. S. Copeman, fatally injured...
A child of Mrs. Frank Laidlaw was killed in its mother's arms and the mother's badly injured.
Wm Brahms, aged about 70, was killed instantly and his wife severely injured.
Mrs. Oscar Slate, aged about 40, was killed instantly, and her husband was severely injured; leg broken in two places and internal injuries.
Thos. Bishop, aged about 60, was instantly killed. Two cows and two horses were also killed.
Joseph Smiley, Jr., was killed. His aged father and mother were both fatally injured and will die.
Dr. Suiter's large house and his barns were destroyed, together with two horse and one cow....

Oakwood
The fury of the storm was probably the greatest at Oakwood. The village was completely annihilated, and farm houses and barns were completely destroyed. Out of about 50 buildings, only seven were left standing...

Mrs. Wm. Davison and child killed.
Mrs. F. Stewart, killed.
Mrs. Wolverton, killed.
E. Fifield, killed.
Mrs. E. Howe and two children, killed.
Mrs. E. Fifield, two limbs broken.

.... Drs. Hathaway and Thompson of Lapeer were summoned to the scene of the catastrophe and did all in their power to alleviate the suffering of injured and dying.

I suppose Dr. Suiter whose house and barns were destroyed was my g-g-grandfather.

TornadoProject.com says "The year 1896 may have been one of the worst year for tornadoes in the history of the USA.

And a webpage on Oxford, Michigan says that "Thomas had a store, hotel, grain elevator and gristmill by the late 1870s. These two areas of Oxford Township continued to prosper until May 1896, when they were largely devastated by a monster tornado which traveled across the entire north end of Oakland County. The tornado killed 41 people and injured 46 others in northern Oakland and southern Lapeer counties. Seventeen of the fatalities were in the northern portion of Oxford Township, from the Oakwood village area to Thomas. While many of the homes in Oakwood and Thomas were rebuilt, the two communities were never again centers of commerce."